Dilemma
by NikkiB1973
Summary: This is set in Breaking Dawn, Jacob and Bella have just had their dance together, she confesses to him she is going to have a proper honeymoon which has upset Jacob. He knows that Bella could die if she goes through with consummating her marriage to Edward while she is still human. Here is what I pictured happening next...


**Dilemma**

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to Stephanie Meyer.

_**A/N-Just a plot bunny that has been bothering me for days. I had to write it down to get it out of my system. This is set in Breaking Dawn, Jacob and Bella have just had their dance together and she goes and confesses to him she is going to have a proper honeymoon which has upset Jacob. He knows that Bella could die if she goes through with consummating her marriage to Edward while she is still human. Here is what I pictured happening next...**_

Jacob's hold on Bella's arms tightened and she winced at the pressure. His eyes had gone dark and she knew that he was on the edge, fighting to control the wolf. "You can't be serious, surely? Please tell me that you don't mean that?" He demanded, he gazed at her intently, all the disgust evident in his voice.

"Let go of me, Jacob. I shouldn't have said anything. This is none of your business." Bella began to struggle against his hold but he kept her firmly in place.

"No, I won't let you do this. He is a leech Bella, please..."

"Let go of her, Jacob, right now." Edward's normally smooth tone was laced with steel as he appeared suddenly beside Jacob and Bella.

Jacob held his breath to prevent breathing in the cloying stink of his hated love rival. He shoved Bella unceremoniously behind him and confronted his nemesis. Edward gritted his teeth as he saw Bella stagger slightly as she tried to right herself.

"You are lucky we are surrounded by others, Jacob, otherwise I would kill you for the way you have touched Bella tonight."He seethed.

A bitter laugh tore from Jacob's lips at Edward's words. "That is rich coming from you. She confessed to me that you were going to attempt to have a real honeymoon tonight. You know that you will kill her if you even try." He yelled at him.

Edward seemed to flinch at the onslaught of Jacob's vitriol toward him; his whole body became rigid as he heard Bella begin to sob. The other members of Jacob's pack began to emerge from the surrounding trees, they could sense that a fight was about to go down if they did not drag their brother away from the situation.

"Jacob, it's over. You need to come now." Sam's calming voice made Jacob look over at him. He shook his head abruptly.

"I can't, don't interfere Sam. He will kill her, I can't let that happen." he said desperately.

"She is no longer your concern or ours. She made her choice." Sam replied, trying to keep his face impassive. He could feel Jacob's pain as if it was his own, but he was the Alpha he had to remain strong.

"Come on bro, you know he is right." Embry interjected. "It's over."

Jacob felt his whole body shaking as he looked first at his pack, then Edward and finally Bella. She raised her tear filled brown eyes to his and they stared at each other for a few brief seconds before he saw Edward place his arms gently around his new bride. Anger again surged through Jacob as he took a step back toward his pack brothers.

"Bells, I need you to forgive me for what I am about to do," he whispered. He then turned to face Sam and the others. "I have to do this, sorry."

It was Edward who knew at once what Jacob's intentions were; he was reading his mind as soon as the thought formed in the boys head. A growl erupted from his chest, startling Bella. "Don't you dare...this is not what she wants."

Jacob ignored Edward and began to run, straight toward the wedding party. He heard Edward cursing and knew that he had only a few seconds head start before the leech caught up with him. He increased his pace, hoping that his own pack brothers would not stop him. He burst through the last of the trees, the wedding orchestra stopped playing as they saw the young Quileute boy suddenly crash through the middle of the seated guests. The groom appeared behind him and caught hold of his arm. The wedding crowd looked on in amazement as the groom and the other boy began tussling with one another.

"Get off me," Jacob yelled. "Where the hell is Charlie?"

Movement from one of the back tables made everyone swivel their heads in that direction as Bella's father scraped his chair back. Billy Black, Jacob's father, was seated beside him and he was staring over at his son in shock. He knew that he had returned and was having a quiet last goodbye with his first love, but what was he doing now. Worry crept over his countenance as he suddenly guessed what Jacob was about to do. He tried to reach out and stop Charlie approaching his son, but it was too late.

"What is going on Jake? Why are you here?" Charlie strode over to his daughter's new husband and her best friend. He watched as Jacob shrugged off Edward's hold on him as if his touch burned.

"He won't believe a word you say." Edward said quietly so only Jacob could hear.

"Don't bet on it..." Jacob turned his back on Edward and waited for Charlie to draw near.

"She will hate you forever..." Edward tried again.

"I don't care, she will be alive..."

Charlie finally reached the two combatants and he stared at them both in confusion. "Where the hell have you been Jake? Your dad has been frantic with worry. You choose now to burst in on my daughter's wedding..."

"I am sorry, Charlie. I did try to stop him. He was talking to Bella when he suddenly lost control. I will take him somewhere to calm himself." Edward said quickly before Jacob had a chance to speak.

Charlie shot his new son-in-law a look of distaste, even now he was finding it hard to reconcile that his daughter had married this individual. He swallowed the bile in this throat and regarded Jacob carefully. "Tell me what is going on here? Where is Bella?"

"She is crying her heart out behind those trees over there..." Jacob replied, his heart beating fast in his chest.

"Yes because of your behaviour." Edward interrupted; trying to deflect the attention away from true events.

"I want to see her right now." Charlie pushed through Jacob and Edward and marched toward the trees. Jacob smiled to himself as he followed Bella's father. Edward gritted his teeth in frustration. He signalled for Carlisle to come over, he needed back up here. Billy Black also made his way over to the trees, he knew that it was too late to stop his son from what he was about to do. He just hoped that his old friend would someday be able to forgive him.

XXXXXXX

Bella was surrounded by the wolf pack. She had begun to follow after Jacob and Edward when they first disappeared but Sam caught up with her and stopped her. He knew what Jacob intended to do and at first his instinct was to go after his pack brother and stop him, but something in the last look that Jacob had thrown his way, made him pause and rethink things. He ordered the others not to follow Jacob and instead he commanded them all to phase into their wolf forms. He wanted them all to be alert if there was any trouble. They crept into the covering trees, still with a clear view of the little clearing where Bella stood; Sam's restraining hand on her shoulder. Sam was the only one who remained in his human form as he waited for Jacob to return with Charlie.

Fifteen minutes passed as Bella alternately begged Sam to release her or kept sobbing, Sam remained stoic throughout it all, and he refused to engage in conversation with the girl. Finally Charlie Swan emerged into view, his eyes widened as he observed his daughter weeping. Sam let go of her shoulder and stepped back when Charlie shot him a dark look.

"What is going on here?" he demanded again. "Bells?"

Jacob, followed immediately by Edward and Carlisle, appeared. Edward tried to approach Bella to pull her into his arms, but his path was blocked by Jacob and then Sam who joined him. "Get away from my wife." He seethed.

Charlie was totally bewildered by what was going on. He saw Billy arrive on the scene and was shocked at the worried expression on his face. "Someone tell me what is going on before I arrest everyone." he said irritably.

Jacob stepped forward; he ignored Bella pleading with him not to ruin things. Edward stood in front of him and placed a cold hand on his chest. Jacob batted it away and glared at him.

"Remember what I said, you do this and she will hate you for eternity." He reminded Jacob.

Jacob just shoved past him and stood in front of Charlie. "This is something we should have been honest about with you from the beginning. Maybe then we wouldn't all be standing here today at this fiasco of a wedding. Stay calm Charlie and please give me a chance to explain afterwards. Your daughter's LIFE depends on it."

Charlie had no words as he watched Jacob take a step back. Right before his disbelieving eyes, Jacob Black phased into his wolf form.

XXXXXX

The wedding was over. Carlisle politely asked all the guests to leave, his excuse was that his family had received bad news and needed to leave at once. The Cullen's possessions were packed up within a matter of hours. The huge glass windows were boarded up, the furniture carefully covered in white sheets. As the dawn's early light shone down on the glittering lake that flowed near the large house, a line of expensive cars swept fast down the long driveway. The Cullen's were leaving and Bella was not with them.

XXXXXX

Charlie Swan and his daughter kept away from Forks for two long months. He took extended leave from work, they reluctantly granted it, after all the Chief of Police had not had a day's vacation in years. They owed him. The gossip spread through Forks like wildfire. Many variations on what had caused the rift between Bella and her new husband were picked apart and changed to suit themselves. No one knew the true version of events.

In La Push Jacob and the pack were shunned by the elders of the Quileute tribe. In all their long history they had never had a pack who had betrayed their secrecy laws. Jacob had violated this over his obsession with a girl. As Sam and the others were complicit with his actions, they were deemed as guilty as he was. The pack was not bothered about this in the slightest. Their main priority was making sure that Jacob did not fall apart. An unexpected attack by a group of rogue vampires soon had the elders welcoming the pack back with open arms.

The main question was, would Charlie Swan and his daughter forgive them as easily?

XXXXXX

Bella lay on her old bed staring up at the ceiling. It felt strange to be back after spending two months at her old house in Phoenix. Her mother had agreed that she and Charlie could stay there while she continued to follow Phil on his travels. The contrast in weather conditions was a shock to the system, after having spent nearly two years in rainy Forks; to once again experience the heat of the dessert terrain was a shock. Of course the temperature reminded Bella on a daily basis of the heat of her former best friend. As much as she wanted to hate Jacob for tearing her carefully planned future apart, she missed him, badly.

After Jacob had revealed what he was to Charlie, all hell had broken lose. Bella's father learned exactly what sort of creature his daughter had just married. No amount of pleas or entreaties from Bella or the Cullen's cut any ice with Chief Swan. Charlie did what he should have done from the start; he finally slipped into his role as Bella's father. He told the Cullen's in no uncertain terms that he refused to allow his daughter to join their family. If they tried to take her away with them he would march over to the assembled wedding guests and reveal everything about their existence. He demanded they leave immediately.

It was then Billy's turn to feel Charlie's wrath. He did not hide his hurt and disappointment that his oldest friend since childhood had kept such things from him. He refused to listen to Billy's excuses and declared that he wanted nothing more to do with him, after that Charlie had caught hold of his weeping daughter and taken her away, from Forks and Jacob.

However much she had railed and fought her father over what he had done, Bella finally realised that she did not seem to be falling apart as she had done the first time Edward had left her. She found that she could even breathe easily without Jacob to hold her together. It made her ponder over her past actions and what she recalled shamed her. Now that her father was in the know, for the first time she had an adult conversation with him about everything. They talked over her childhood, why Renee had left and how badly he had dealt with it all. He apologised for being a distant parent and explained his reasons for holding back when he first expressed doubts about her unhealthy relationship with Edward. Bella too revealed the truth, how her parents spilt had impacted on her views on relationships, that being an only child with just her flighty mother for company had made her cling to the ideal that the Cullen's represented to her.

It made Bella realize that it had not been Edward she had been in love with, but the possibility of a stable family that he had represented. The time away from Forks and all that had happened there did both of them a lot of good, but after two months away they began to yearn for home. So without waiting any longer Charlie and Bella returned to their little two bed house in Forks. Jacob knew that she had returned straight away. He had been spending every free moment standing guard outside her home. As soon as he felt her scent drift over to his sensitive wolf's nose, the ache in his heart finally ceased. She was back and still breathing. He had achieved what he set out to do; Bella Swan's heart was still beating and would remain that way until she died a natural death.

XXXXXXX

Bella and Charlie did not contact Jacob and Billy when they returned. He went back to work and she found a part time job in Port Angeles and began to save for college. Each night Bella would go to sleep, a cocoon of warmth would surround her and she would awake, expecting to see Jacob's heated body lying next to her, but every time her eyes fluttered open the space next to her was empty. She would lay her hand on the spot beside her and would feel the warmth emanating from the sheets. Bella knew that he had been spending each night beside her as she slept, but he always managed to evade her when she woke up.

This ritual went on for a month after her return until one morning Bella woke up screaming from a nightmare. She immediately placed her hand on the empty space next to her expecting to feel the warmth, but it was cold.

XXXXXX

Bella loved her old red Chevy truck, but right now she hated it with a passion. She floored the accelerator and the engine whined as if it was in torment. She watched the speed dial as it slowly went up to sixty. She hit the steering wheel in frustration, even though La Push was only a fifteen minute drive from her house, today it felt like hours. To make matters worse it began to rain, lightly at first until it became a torrential downpour. It was only at the last minute that she saw some kind of animal rushing across the road in front of her, she slammed on the brakes and the wheels locked. It caused the heavy truck to skid and it slid off of the slick road and into the verge. Bella, who in her desperation had not bothered with a seat belt, felt her head slam against the steering wheel. Pain shot through her brain before darkness overtook her.

XXXXXX

When she next opened her brown eyes she found herself looking up into Jacob's. His own showed relief when he gazed back down at her. She tried to move her head and a sharp pain shot through it.

"Stay still, honey. You hit your head. There is a bit of blood, but I think you will be okay." he said softly as he wiped the damp hair from her forehead.

Bella reached up a trembling hand and touched Jacob's cheek reverently with her fingers. "You're alive."

"Yeah..." Jacob replied in confusion. "What made you think that I wasn't?"

"My bed was cold..."

Jacob gave her a sheepish smile. "You knew that I had been sleeping there then."

Bella tried to nod her head but another sharp pain made her wince. "Yes, where were you last night? I had a nightmare..."

Jacob sighed as answered. "I have been on patrol all night covering for Embry; he has met someone and was spending the night with her. I was just on my way to yours when I found your truck by the side of the road. Shit, Bells, I was so scared. I ripped the door right off your truck, sorry."

Bella couldn't help but laugh at this mental image of Jacob forcefully ripping her truck to pieces to reach her. "Doesn't matter, I am sure you can fix it."

Jacob looked at her intently. "What about us? Will you let me fix that too?"

Bella stroked his cheek gently with her thumb. "No need, we were never really broken."

XXXXXX

It was the beginning of their reconnection; they had both changed in subtle ways, Bella especially. She was no longer the fragile, unconfident girl he remembered. She was bolder and more assertive and he loved it. In turn Bella noted how more mature and together Jacob seemed. He confessed to her that he was now Alpha of the pack, he had finally accepted his destiny.

"It was hard to live without you Bells, but I did it." He admitted to her.

Bella had placed her hand over his strongly beating heart when he told her this."It was hard for me as well, but I found myself when I was finally away from both you and Edward. I survived Jacob, I lived."

Jacob had grinned at her when she said this. "That's a good thing honey."

"Yes it is," She had agreed.

They began dating in secret; it added spice to their relationship keeping it hidden from others. Now that Jacob was Alpha he could hide his thoughts with ease. The pack was not fooled though; there was only ever one girl who could put a smile on Jacob Black's face like that. Out of loyalty they kept their thoughts quiet about their leader's new found exuberance. It was Charlie who once again found out about it unexpectedly.

He came home early from work one night. He had been feeling ill for most of the day and as he was caught up on all his paperwork he thought he could leave his deputy to cover for him. His suspicions were aroused when he heard giggling and laughter drifting down the stairs. It was coming from his daughter's room. She had never mentioned that she was seeing someone. He yelled up the stairs that he knew that she was in and a deathly silence was his only answer.

Some instinct made him suddenly run up the stairs and fling her door open, he found Bella hidden under the covers of her bed and a half naked Jacob, wearing only cut off sweats, just scrambling out. "I see," was all Charlie had said before slamming her door shut and stamping down the stairs.

XXXXXX

Charlie had ordered Jacob and Bella into the back of the police cruiser and driven them straight to La Push. He refused to listen to their explanations and ordered them to remain silent. The atmosphere was tense as he pulled up outside of the Black's property. Charlie stared over at the little red house where he had spent so much of his life. Billy's home had been like his own, he had spent the happiest parts of his life there. Memories assaulted him as he continued to sit there staring out of the windshield. The months he had spent not speaking to his best friend had been the unhappiest of his life.

The door to the house was opened and Billy wheeled his chair outside. His heart had lifted at the sound of the cruiser pulling up. Maybe Charlie was finally ready to talk things out. His expression faltered when he saw Jacob and Bella emerge from the back of the cruiser looking shame faced. He watched as their hands linked as they walked slowly toward him. Charlie followed them, his face thunderous.

"Look who I just caught sneaking out of my daughter's bed," was Charlie's only greeting.

Billy sighed and moved to one side so that they could all go inside the house.

XXXXXX

"How long has this been going on?" Charlie demanded, arms crossed as he glared at Jacob and Bella.

"A few weeks," Bella confessed, not intimidated at all by her dad's stance.

"Why the secrecy?"

"Because it is our business and no one else's..." She said nonchalantly. Jacob squeezed her hand as he smiled down at her. His Bells was so much stronger now. A year ago she would not have been so comfortable confronting her dad over stuff like this.

Charlie turned his eyes onto Billy. "Did you know about this?" he barked at him, making Billy jump.

"I had no idea, honestly." Billy replied, shooting his son a dark look.

Charlie stared at his old friend for a moment, assessing whether to believe him. The fact that Billy was glaring at Jacob convinced him. The tension left his body and he flung himself down on the couch. "Get me a beer would ya." he demanded, giving Billy a smug smile.

Billy pretended to be offended, but as he spun his chair around to head for the kitchen he couldn't stop his lips parting in a relieved smile.

XXXXXX

Bella and Jacob retreated to the garage and left their dad's to their own devices. They sensed that the men wanted some privacy to discuss their issues without them present. Bella gazed around at the place Jacob had once christened their little 'Taj Mahal' it was their special place and Bella had always felt safe within its metal confines. Her eyes wandered over to Jacob's car. She strolled over to it and ran her hands over the bright red paintwork.

"Do you remember helping me work on the car?" Jacob whispered coming up behind her. He wound his arms around her waist and yanked her back against his chest.

"Yes, I would sit on that old upturned crate and you would ask me to pass you the right tools. Then when we took a break you always had some warm sodas hidden in a paper bag."She smiled at the memory.

"You never did pass me the right tools." Jacob teased as he traced his lips up the curve of Bella's neck.

"No, well I was more interested in watching you. I had a nice view."Bella leaned her head to one side to give him better access to her neck. His gentle kisses were making her weak at the knees in anticipation.

"Really, I always knew you were a bad girl." Jacob said as he suddenly spun her around in his arms and lifted her onto the hood of the car.

Bella parted her thighs as he stood between them. She wrapped her legs around his waist as his lips crashed onto hers in a heated kiss. Their mouths moved together urgently and when their tongues met, Bella wound her hand in his silky hair and tugged on the ends. Their lips eventually parted as they both needed to come up for air.

"You always were a bad influence on me, Jacob Black." She panted, her breath coming in shallow gasps.

Jacob ran his hands down the curve of Bella's back and pulled her closer. His lips hovered over hers as he answered. "Right back at you, baby, "before his mouth pressed down on hers.

**FIN.**

_**A/N-Just had to write it. Thanks for reading! Nikki **_


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